Ben Glaetzer Anaperenna 2021

Product Information: Not much to go around with this release the tough season lead to a low yield, but this next part’s going to hurt – they’re really quite good. This 79% Shiraz / 21% Cabernet Sauvignon has a dense palate featuring a multitude of dark berries, currants and plums with flourishes of fresh thyme, dried anise and cardamom to keep things interesting before delightfully long finale. This wine comes from exceptional old vine fruit that was sourced from the famed Ebenezer sub district at the northern tip of the Barossa Valley. Vine age 30–100 year old Shiraz and 30–130 year old Cabernet. Yield is 2.5 tonnes per hectare. It is fermented in 1 and 2 tonne open fermenters, hand plunged 3 times daily. Matured for 16 months in 100% new oak hogshead barrels (92% French and 8% American) and matured on lees to maintain fruit profile and animation. Bottled unfiltered to ensure minimal intervention with the wine’s natural characteristics. The name Anaperenna has been inspired by Anna Perenna, the Roman goddess of the New Year. Anna Perenna symbolises the year’s cycle and her name translates as ‘enduring year’. Romans honoured Anna Perenna with a festival held on the first full moon of the Roman calendar. On March 15th they would ask Anna to grant them longevity, and a healthy year for each glass of wine they drank on that day. While the symbol on the label is the Egyptian Ankh (pronounced: onk). Historically the ankh symbolised sunrise, regeneration, regrowth and renewal, two fitting symbols that reference the trials and tribulations of each vintage. Maker: The Glaetzer family has a deep rooted viticultural history in the Barossa Valley, dating back to 1888. After 30 years of winemaking, Colin Glaetzer established the family winery to create limited quantities of super premium Barossa Valley red wines. Today Colin’s son Ben makes unique and elegant wines which are regarded as classics and unmistakably Barossan. All fruit for Glaetzer Wines is taken from a small sub district of the Northern Barossa Valley called Ebenezer which produces exceptional fruit from very old vines (30-130 years). The softness and elegance of Ebenezer fruit coupled with Ben Glaetzer’s winemaking style results in generous wines with great depth of flavour that are also elegant, multilayered and finely balanced. All fruit for Glaetzer Wines is taken from the small sub-region of the northern Barossa Valley, called Ebenezer. The ancient dry-grown vineyards in the renowned Ebenezer district are an important part of Australia’s winemaking heritage and a living link to traditional Barossa viticulture. Exceptional fruit comes from a loyal group of third and fourth generation Barossa grape growers, the backbone of Glaetzer wines. Most plants are trained to a standard single vine, with permanent arm, rod and spur. But the most exceptional fruit is sourced from 80-110 year old, non-grafted bush vines which are extremely low yielding. The oldest vines bear only 0.5 to 1 tonne per acre. Younger vines produce 2.5 to 3 tonnes per acre. Most of the vineyards are dry-grown (non-irrigated) but some of the newer vines (propagated from original plantings) have supplementary drip irrigation to combat stress in drought years. The very old vines require minimal attention. Their deep root structure means they are self-sufficient and can adapt to climatic extremes. The climate and soils of the Barossa Valley vary markedly from north to south. The warmer Ebenezer district has low rainfall and relative humidity which results in full, intensely-coloured wines. The softness, elegance and approachability of Ebenezer fruit has become the hallmark of the Glaetzer ‘house style’. Ebenezer has a unique soil profile. The well-drained sandy clay loam over a solid limestone pan is perfect for growing Shiraz. The soil is ‘mean’ and encourages deep roots which helps produce hugely concentrated wines of great character. Vineyard: Good rainfall towards the end of Spring and cooler temperatures over the Summer led to excellent soil moisture and vine health over the growing period. La Nina did not bring rain to the Valley in late Summer or Autumn with rainfall being 40% below average. These mild and dry conditions were excellent for flowering, bud burst and veraison. As such, yields are much higher than the disappointingly small 2020 and quality is of a very high standard. The long “Indian Summer’ gave great ripeness and phenolic concentration. Nose – Cedarwood, Plums, Lemon Myrtle dark berries, currants and plums with flourishes of fresh thyme, dried anise and cardamom Palate – Boysenberry, Jellied Fruits, Lemon It’s as much boysenberried as plum-shot, with jellied berried characters running juicily and attractively throughout. Finish – Dried Anise, Cardamom, Long Cedarwood oak is a player but not an over-bearing one, and